Challenges...

I probably shouldn't be taking the time to write this post, but writing A SONG FOR YOU is presenting me with some challenges, and I need to get this off my chest.

Yesterday I read a great article in the wonderful new magazine published by Permission To Write about automatic writing by Ka'Lyn Coghill. She opened the article with this sentence: "Writing can be daunting when you find yourself at a roadblock. It can be disheartening to have a thought but not have the words to eloquently express the way you feel."

That immediately grabbed my attention, because I am struggling with the opening chapters of Book Two in The Lake Series. Usually when I start a new book, I sail through the beginning and don't stall out until the middle. This time it was different.

                             

Ms. Coghill recommends doing freewriting when this happens. Since I've never tried this approach, I was skeptical. I'm one of those writers who likes to go into each session with a plan. It seemed to me if I was already having trouble getting the words on the page, sitting down and writing whatever came to mind would be fruitless. I was wrong.

I set a timer for fifteen minutes and proceeded to write whatever came to mind. It was interesting that it started out with a complaint about the usefulness of doing the exercise, but as I continued without stopping, possible ideas for the story came to me. What developed was the most productive writing day I've had in weeks.


via GIPHY

Today, I plan to do the same thing. Thanks, Ka'Lyn!
If you want to learn more about freewriting, this Wikipedia article will give you more details: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_wr...